Stats's Don't Lie - May 2019 MLB Prospect Report

Two months of the season is almost complete and I think its a good opportunity to look at some of the numbers. Who is performing at an elite level? Who's not? Check out some of the numbers below. Please note these numbers were recorded through the games played as of May 19th and were taken from Fangraphs.

Hitters

Tyler Freeman - Cleveland Indians - 0.197 ISO - One of my favorite hitters. The question is can he hit more home runs.

LoLo Sanchez - Pittsburgh Pirates - 12.20% K rate. He also has 16 extra base hits but is repeating a level so this is not a big surprise.

Pavin Smith - Arizona Diamondbacks - 13.50% walk rate. Smith already has 4 home runs on the year. Maybe he is tapping into his power finally. I also love the on base percentage (.333) despite the batting average.

Alec Bohm - Philadelphia Phillies - 21 extra base hits. He is finally getting it going.

Nick Allen - Oakland Athletics - 0.186 ISO. Nick has 14 doubles and 3 triples but I am not sure if that is sustainable but his auto sells for a bargain.

Pitchers

Casey Mize - Detroit Tigers - 0.89 BB/9 and 2.39 FIP. Casey is the real deal.

Brady Singer - Kansas City Royals - 8.86 K/9. Not a bad start and still an affordable buy.

Grayson Rodriguez - Baltimore Orioles - 13.65 K/9. His cards are heating up but you may still find bargains at the card shows.

Hitters I'm Worried About

Austin Beck - Oakland Athletics - 39.20% K rate. Not good.

Khalil Lee - Kansas City Royals - 0.115 ISO. I would like to see more power. The walk rate is good so I am not too worried.

Brandon Marsh - Los Angeles Angles - 29.90% K rate. The swing and miss issues have to improve.

Ronny Mauricio - New York Mets  - 1 Home Run. He is only 18 but I wonder if he can develop power in the future. Still early.

2019 Bowman Baseball - Price Trend Analysis

2019 Bowman Baseball has been out for a week. Overall the prices are insane. Even prospects with a small sample size or none at all are selling for big amounts. Check out the recap below. I doubt prices will come down but another review will be done in a few weeks. Please note my review is based on base auto prices sold on Ebay via auction.

Andrew Knizner - St. Louis Cardinals C - Selling for about $10-15. Worth a buy.

Blaze Alexander - Arizona Diamondbacks 2b - Selling for around $25. Too high at the moment for me.

Brewer Hicklen - Kansas City Royals OF - Selling between $5-10. Worth a buy and is a bargain.

Cal Mitchell - Pittsburgh Pirates OF - Short printed? Prices are around $30. I will monitor.

Chad Spanberger - Toronto Blue Jays 1b - Selling for around $5-15. I would say a bargain bin purchase is in play.

Cristian Santana - Los Angeles Dodgers 1b/3b - Selling for around $25-$30. As expected.

Diego Cartaya - Los Angeles Dodgers C - Selling for around $50. Not bad for someone who has not played yet.

Dom Thompson-Williams - New York Yankees OF - Selling for $5-$10. Dom is in the Seattle farm system so his card is worth a buy if selling for single digits.

Elehuris Montero - St. Louis Cardinals 3b - Selling for around $40. I am surprised it is not selling for more.

Esteury Ruiz - San Diego Padres 2b - Selling for around $20. Not a bad price.

Gabriel Cancel - Kansas City Royals 2b - Selling for around $10. I would try to buy at around $5.

Julio Rodriguez - Seattle Mariners OF - Selling for $140. I'm out.

Miguel Amaya - Chicago Cubs C - Selling for around $40. Not a big surprise here.

Mateo Gil - St. Louis Cardinals SS - Selling for $5 to $15 but has not played much. Upside buy for me.

Marco Luciano - San Francisco Giants -Selling for $150. I'm out.

Matt Vierling - Philadelphia Phillies OF - Selling for around $15. I need the price to come down.

Nate Lowe - Tampa Bay Rays 1b - Selling for around $20 but he is playing well so the price is legit.

Ronny Mauricio - New York Mets SS -  Selling for over $100. I'm out

Telmito Agustin - Washington Nationals OF - Bargain bin price but is 22 and not much upside is left. Maybe buy one.

Tirso Ornelas - San Diego Padres OF - Selling for $40. Good prospect. Not surprised.

Victor Mesa Jr. - Miami Marlins OF - See below.

Victor Victor Mesa - Miami Marlins OF - Both are selling for close to $100. I'll pass.

Are We In A Baseball Card Bull Market?

The mission of this site is to give readers the best analysis on baseball prospects and the Bowman baseball card market. Occasionally the Majors are discussed but I prefer to keep my focus on the future of the game. It is also my job to inform readers of potential trends and pitfalls. Bowman baseball autograph card prices have spiked since the release of 2018 Bowman Draft. Prospects who have not taken a swing in the minors or past rookie ball are selling for big profits. I have seen this trend emerge not just in baseball but in the entire card market. A bull market is forming (or has already started) and the potential of a bubble forming should be noted. My concern is due to the spike in demand the chance of supply increasing becomes more likely. One positive is the Bowman autograph is held in high regard due to having an on-card signatures and history. Maybe buying more color will be a good hedge if supply increases but that has yet to be determined. In the future months and possibly years, timing will be key as you are prospecting. I wanted to give readers a heads up as the market seems to be changing. In addition, I have also provided some links with good information. Thanks for reading and a special thanks to Brandon for motivating me to write about this.
 
Bull Market Definition via Investopedia

Gary Vaynerchuck Predicts the Sports Card Bull Market

Starts at the 1:30 min mark and ends around to about the 6 minute mark. I also read he will be attending the National Convention which will only increase demand as he has a ton of followers.

Recommended Reading

The Great Baseball Card Bubble - Slate Magazine
Why Your Sports Cards from the Early 90s Are Worthless - Cardboard Connection

Will history repeat itself? If you agree or disagree, I want to hear from you. Feel free to email or contact me on Twitter.